I was tasked to find and create an account with a photo sharing site.  Photo sharing is when a person will post a picture, similar to posting a blog, and allow for other people to view that photo.  The photo can contain "tags" which identify people or animals in a photo that is made public.  However, as with any online page, there are privacy settings that can limit exactly who is able to view, tag, or even share the photo that was posted.  As evident by my rather large icon to the left, I have chosen Flickr as my photo sharing site.  1) It has a really cool name that cannot be overlooked, and 2) I really did not want to jump on the Instagram bandwagon.  I do have a personal Facebook account, but I want to try something different and outside my comfort zone for this assignment. 

http://www.flickr.com/people/kelleykill/ 

At my school, and most others, we have PLC- Professional Learning Community.  During this time with our PLC, we have professionals in the same or similar field get together and discuss anything from lesson plans to how to enhance our teaching.  For example, a group of first grade teachers at a school would be a PLC, or if there is only one teacher of each grade, then maybe K-2 teachers create one PLC.  This same philosophy is now transferred onto the Internet in Professional Learning Networks or PLN.  In the past, it would be people of similar fields to become a group, but now, there are learning networks of a more personal nature. 

I chose Scoop.it to begin my own Personal Learning Network.  With my Scoop,it account, I am able to access a variety of media (blogs, microposts, video, etc) surrounding a topic or theme that is personal to me.  I created two topics or communities to follow, one is Adapted Physical Education and the other is Adapted Physical Activity and Sports.  Both are passions of mine, and are connected to my professional life as an Adapted Physical Education Teacher.  The first topic allows me access to scholarly journals, news articles, blogs, and various information that I can use to enhance my own teaching activities.  The other community allows me to stay informed on various sports, and more importantly athletic heroes, that I can discuss with my students in regards to real-life role models.  I decided to mainly "scoop", or publish on my walls, written articles by online newspapers or scholarly journals.  I wanted to start my communities with relevant information that I found to be informative, uplifting, and  relatable to my teaching.  I will most likely add in other types of media (video and audio), but did not find any currently that met what I was looking for. 

To see my PLN and/or follow, copy and paste this in your browser -    http://www.scoop.it/u/kelley-k

I just read an interesting article by Williams and Jacobs, describing not only the origin of blogging but its use in the education field.  According to Williams and Jacobs (2004), "blogs have the potential, at least, to be a truly transformational technology in that they provide students with a high level of autonomy while simultaneously providing the opportunity for greater interaction with peers. A blogging tool would be a valuable addition" (p. 247) I believe this to be true, because a few colleagues of mine in the general education field, are contemplating using blogging in their classrooms for that reason specifically.  As with all my current blogs, I was asked to reflect upon questions asked by my professor in regards to internet and learning.

How has the Internet has impacted your own personal learning?

• What sites do you go to regularly to learn new things?
• Are there authors or sites that you "follow?"
• When does the Internet or the Web help your learning, and when does it distract from good learning for you?
• How do you feel about technology and learning?

These are very good and thought-provoking questions surrounding this content, and it does make me analyze my use of technology and it's impact on my learning.  The majority of sites that I use for learning are broad, and typically are at the mercy of what sites Google believe are most relevant to the content I am searching for.  Though I do use Wikipedia, I know not to rely on this site as the absolute truth.  The Internet can aid in my learning when I find a website that is: credible, has substantial resources, and created by people in that specific field.  On the other hand, it can detract from my "good learning" by feeding me false information or unreliable sources.  In the end, it is up to the user to distinguish between the two, and I believe technology can greatly benefit learning.  Specifically blogging can be an asset by engaging students to participate, be it actually contributing or simply reading what others deem important in specific content areas.  Blogging allows for a more flexible and accessible way to respond, share, and collaborate with others on a variety of issues which has the power to enhance learning.  It can act in a way like a big study group, with people comparing notes, discussing what is important, and debating upon the validity of

References:

Williams, J. & Jacobs, J. (2004) Exploring blogs as learning spaces in higher education.
Australasian Journal of Educational Technology 20(2), 232-247.

Microblogging reminds me of when I am highlighting your textbook, or underlining my notes- only the most important information.  If I need to condense a statement or thought to 140 characters or less, I need to make them count.  My professor asked me to reflect on microblogging in education/athletics, and that anything is fair game.

Here comes my amazing reflection to stun everyone, and make the world clap- microblogging is both good and bad.  As the old saying goes, a tool has the ability to create as well as destroy.  Microblogging when used properly, can be an asset to education.  I have seen documentaries of teachers utilizing Twitter to engage their students, and to have students respond to questions and discussions using Twitter.  I have seen students love Twitter, because their professor would post about a scheduling change or an update on what assignments are due.  Microblogging could be beneficial with athletics by posting: the start time of the game, location of the game, and  the current score.  Microblogging can be useful, and thoroughly appreciated by students/fans/etc., if utilized properly.  As stated before, microblogging is an efficient way to communicate the important  or condensed version of information a person wishes to communicate to others.

 I know I previously mentioned that microblogging could destroy education/athletics, and I am sure there must be people asking how that could happen.  "How can microblogging destroy something?"

Well I am a positive person, and try to shy away from such negatives; however, microblogging can be used for bad purposes.  As with anything cyber, it can lead to:  bashing, bullying, or being negative which can cause a ripple effect in any education/athletic forum.  For example, a teacher attempting to use Twitter with a class will not get very far if most of the students use Twitter inappropriately.  Or bullying a particular player of  a team, can lead to a negative impact of his/her playing with all these hateful microblogs in his/her head. 

I promise that everyone will find mostly positive and happy posts on my Twitter.  Follow me @kelleymk1986  If nothing else, it should be fun to try and see me write a microblog.

My first though when learning about PWP, was the astonishment that I could create my own.  My prior experiences had been through the typical MySpace, Livejournal, and Facebook--all websites that tell you where to write, what to write and the places to upload everything.  People attempt to individualize their own page, but when boiled down, it is all the same design.  This is why the idea of creating something truly unique and original boggled my mind, but in such a great way!  (I'll still be playing with ways to update or edit this website!)

Here were some questions asked of me by my professor in regards to PWP.

1. What PWP of an educator do you feel do a good job of representing him or her?   
   
2. What do you like about their PWP?
3. What do you think could be improved?
4. How do you feel this person chose to represent themselves on the Web? Is the PWP professional, personal, or both?
5. What features of this PWP would you copy, and which ones would you change?

Here are my thoughtful

1)- I haven't seen a professional PWP of an educator that I thought embodied or represented him or her well.  The reason behind that is because the page is normally a small blurb and a way to contact him or her; also, the PWP is not their own but part of a parent website (district, county, school, etc.).  I actually searched all prior teachers that I knew, and I couldn't find a good PWP that was their own.  Literally, I searched to find educators I know and see their own website...nothing.  However, the question just said PWP and not requiring it to be professional, so the best I have seen is a Facebook page for, let's call her B.

2)-What I did like about B's PWP was her photos, quotes, and summaries.  It helped bring an individualization to a generic Facebook page.

3) I think her page could use more background information into her work history.  The page is mostly set in the present, and does not contain much information into her past jobs or roles.

4)- As stated before, this PWP was definitely personal and not professional.

5)- The features I would like to copy would be the witty quotes, summaries, and status posts that cover her page.  The unique photos that seem to summarize her personality completely, would be another feature I wish I could have on my PWP.  What I would change on her PWP would be to add in more depth and layers to her background.  That is why I've added a Resume tab on my PWP, to help showcase where I have been and what I have done.

Just watched an amazing youtube clip about living your life by playing to your strengths.  Marcus Buckingham is narrator, and describes what playing to your strengths mean.  In the clip, he goes through various "myths" that he claims hold us back from leading a life that emphasizes our strengths.  However, the most shocking "myth" is that we should not grow from our weakness but our strengths.  Confusing?  Let me try again.  Whenever a person is confronted with a weakness, be it math or lifting weights, he or she is told to "grow or improve."  Marcus explains that a person should "grow" from their strengths, and he gave a nice detailed explanation that made a lot of sense to me. 

Here is the link to watch, or click on the youtube logo below.  Just copy and paste to your browser -
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GGB_d8FZig&feature=youtu.be>

It is with all this in mind, that I was asked to reflect and blog about two questions from my professor:

1) What are some situations where you feel you are in your "sweet spot?"
2)What are some areas where you feel you are totally out of your areas of strengths?

My amazing and thoughtful reflections:
1) I feel that when I am teaching Adapted Physical Education is when I am in my "sweet spot."  When a student able to master a skill or concept after many sessions of practicing, is an amazing feeling to have.  My favorite is when I see or hear about how a student took the skills I worked with him or her and applied it to PE/recess/lunch/etc.  It is in those moments where I feel happy, validated, and am in my sweet spot.  The ability to improve a student's life, no matter how small or insignificant, is an amazing feeling.  An example, is I had a student that wanted to play with others during recess/lunch but was so shy, he couldn't initiate a conversation.  I saw many peers playing basketball, and at the end of each class I made it so we practice basketball skills.  Once he became comfortable in his basketball skills, he went up to his peers randomly one day (no prompting from adults!) and asked if anyone of them would like to play basketball.  Now he has basketball friends that he plays with everyday, and they help him out during PE class when he seems confused on what to do.  Did I know that was the outcome that would happen when my student became better at basketball? No, but I had an idea that something similar like this would most likely happen.  It is during these moments, where I know how to help my students succeed besides their IEP goals, that I feel at my very best.

2)  Organization has always been an issue with me, and I fear will always be a weakness of mine.  I do try to become better at structure, but somehow I always end up with a disorganized mess.  Prioritizing is another weakness of mine, because unless it is urgent, I tend to do these out of order.  Both of these weakness are similar and overlap in function, but I do continue to try and improve so that my weaknesses get a little better everyday.

      Hi! My name is Kelley Kill, and currently I am an Adapted Physical Education Teacher (PreK-8) for Ravenswood City School District in East Palo Alto. This is my second year teaching for this district, but it will be my fourth year teaching Adapted Physical Education in general. Besides Ravenswood, I have taught APE for: West Sonoma County Office of Education, Sonoma County Office of Education, and private schools.  I received two teaching credentials from Sonoma State University: Multiple Subject and APE.  I am the second person at Sonoma State to receive those credentials together at the same time.  My hope is to one day become a Community College Professor in Adapted Physical Education.

      This is my first time blogging, and though excited, I am very nervous!  Afterall, I never would consider myself a "blogger" of any sort, but life is all about taking on new challenges right?